The Naked Sun cover

The Naked Sun

Robot • Book 2

by Isaac Asimov, Chris Moore

Narrated by William Dufris

4.42 ABR Score (67.3K ratings)
★ 4.2 Goodreads (64.3K) ★ 4.75 Audible (3.0K)
7h 41m Released 2014 Sci-Fi

Why Listen to This Audiobook?

An agoraphobic detective trapped under an open sky, solving a murder on a world where human touch is considered obscene — Asimov built a genuinely unsettling premise here.

  • Great if you want: classic locked-room mystery wrapped in cold sociological SF
  • Listening experience: cerebral and methodical — Asimov's ideas reward full attention
  • Narration: Dufris captures Baley's edged anxiety without melodrama
  • Skip if: dialogue-heavy, idea-first storytelling feels slow to you

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About This Audiobook

Detective Elijah Baley faces his greatest fear when summoned to investigate a murder on Solaria, one of the distant Outer Worlds. As an Earthman accustomed to the protective confines of underground cities, Baley must confront not only the terror of open skies and unfiltered sunlight, but also a society so obsessed with isolation that its inhabitants never meet face-to-face. Reunited with his android partner R. Daneel Olivaw, Baley navigates a world where robots outnumber humans and physical contact is considered obscene, all while solving a seemingly impossible crime in this hostile environment.

William Dufris delivers a masterful narration that captures both Baley's claustrophobic anxiety and the sterile, unsettling atmosphere of Solarian society. His voice work distinguishes clearly between the human characters and the measured tones of various robots, while maintaining the procedural tension that drives Asimov's detective story forward. The audio format particularly enhances the psychological elements of Baley's journey, as Dufris conveys the detective's mounting dread and gradual adaptation with subtle vocal nuances that illuminate the character's internal struggle against his deepest phobias.